State Rep. Patricia Morgan (R-West Warwick), the new minority leader in the Rhode Island House, joins Political Roundtable this week to discuss charter schools and what's next for the House GOP caucus under her leadership.

As we saw during the presidential campaign, abortion continues to be a wedge cultural and political issue in American politics. RIPR political analyst Scott MacKay says that the rhetoric on this issue may be up, but abortions are down.( Advance copy of on-air commentary for Monday.) It’s been more than four decades since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Roe Versus Wade case made abortion legal in the United States. When the opinion was handed down in 1973, many thought it would...

A New York developer is scaling back his proposal for a three-tower development in the I-195 District. Jason Fane wants state officials to move quickly to support a single 43-story residential tower in the district. Fane said he hopes to develop two additional towers in future phases, depending on the level of market demand. In a statement, Fane says the single tower would catalyze other new uses in the 195 District. “This is a special opportunity for the state and city’s leadership to jump...

Following anecdotal reports of an uptick in harassment of minority groups across the country, Providence has created a hate crime hotline. There is currently no statewide mechanism dedicated to hate incidents. The new hotline is part of Mayor Jorge Elorza’s effort to allay the concerns of residents, after the election of Donald Trump. Many of the city's minority groups, including sexual, racial and religious minorities, have expressed fears about safety and protection from harassment under...

Governor Gina Raimondo took part a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday to mark the start of the first development utilizing the state's Rebuild RI tax credit. The Commons at Providence Station will create 169 apartments on 2.85 acres of vacant land near the Providence train station. The project is utilizing a $5.6 million Rebuild RI tax credit and a 15-year tax stabilization agreement with the City of Providence. Raimondo hailed the development as a sign of positive momentum in the state,...

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to serve as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Co-Chair of the U.S. Senate Climate Action Task Force Senator Sheldon Whitehouse says he’s disheartened by the choice. He says Pruitt denies the reality of climate change. And the attorney general was among those who sued the EPA over its Clean Power Plan to mitigate climate change. In a statement to the press, Whitehouse says he expects Americans...

Expectations are like sand castles at Scarborough Beach. Threatened by waves and tides, here now but probably gone later. And then rebuilt. So it is with University of Rhode Island and Providence College basketball this season. The Rams started with great expectations based on the return of injured stars E.C. Matthews and Hassan Martin. A Top 25 ranking raised expectations higher. Then a three-point loss at Valparaiso and a heartbreaking three-point loss to Providence at the sold-out Dunkin’...